• 1. Montana Speed Limits
• 2. Right-of-Way Rules in Montana
• 3. Intersection and Turn Laws in Montana
• 4. Montana Lane Usage Rules
• 5. Passing Laws in Montana
• 6. Following Distance in Montana
• 7. Montana School Bus Laws
• 8. DUI and Impaired Driving Laws in Montana
• 9. Montana Seat Belt and Child Restraint Laws

• 10. Parking Rules in Montana
• 11. Driving in Montana Weather
• 12. Montana License Points and Suspensions
• 13. Headlight Laws in Montana
• 14. Night Driving in Montana
• 15. Montana Cell Phone and Distracted Driving Laws
• 16. Railroad Crossings in Montana
• 17. Montana Roundabout Rules

Center turn lane (CTSL)

Used only as directed by lane markings and signs for permitted turning movements; not for ordinary through travel.

5. Passing in Montana: The 10 MPH Exception on Two-Lane Roads and No-Pass Zone Rules

When can you exceed the speed limit to pass in Montana, and where is passing prohibited?

• Montana’s 10 mph passing exception applies only when overtaking and passing on a two-lane road in a designated passing zone, and only as allowed by the speed statute.
• Before moving left to pass, the left side must be clearly visible and free of oncoming traffic for enough distance to complete the maneuver safely.
• Do not drive left of center when approaching the crest of a grade or a curve where the view is obstructed, within 100 feet of an intersection or railroad crossing unless an official traffic-control device permits it, or where the approach to a bridge, viaduct, or tunnel is obstructed within 100 feet.
• Obey posted and marked no-passing zones. Montana law includes a narrow statutory exception for passing a bicycle only when every required condition is met.
• The vehicle being overtaken may not increase speed until it has been completely passed.
• Passing on the right is permitted only in situations allowed by law, such as when the vehicle ahead is turning left or the roadway has enough unobstructed pavement for two or more same-direction lanes. Do not leave the pavement or main-traveled portion of the roadway to pass on the right.

6. Montana Following Distance: 3-Second Rule and Four-Second Sight Distance at Night

How much following distance should you leave in Montana? The Montana Driver Manual uses the Three-Second Rule under normal conditions.

• Under normal conditions, stay at least 3 seconds behind the vehicle ahead.
• Increase the gap beyond 3 seconds when rain, snow, ice, fog, traffic, road surface, or visibility makes additional stopping distance necessary.
• At night, use the manual’s Four-Second Sight Distance Rule so you are not traveling faster than the distance you can see and stop within.
• Allow additional space behind large vehicles or whenever your view ahead is restricted.

7. Montana School Bus Laws: 30-Foot Stop Rule, Divided Highway Exception & Move Over

Do you have to stop for a school bus on a divided highway in Montana, and how far back must you stop?

School Buses

• When a school bus displays flashing amber lights, slow to a reasonable speed and be prepared to stop.
• When the bus displays flashing red lights, traffic required to stop must stop approximately 30 feet or more from the bus and remain stopped until the red lights cease.
• A driver on a separate roadway of a divided highway is not required to stop for a school bus stopped on the opposite roadway.
• Do not overtake a stopped school bus on the right.
• For a first violation of Montana’s school-bus stopping law, current law provides a $500–$1,000 fine, 50–100 hours of community service, or both.
• Railroad crossings: School buses are among vehicles generally required to stop before railroad grade crossings; where the stop requirement applies, stop as close as practicable but at least 15 feet from the nearest rail.

Emergency Vehicles and Montana Move Over Law

• When an authorized emergency vehicle approaches using required audible or visual signals, pull to the right and stop as required; do not block an intersection.
• When approaching a stationary law-enforcement, emergency, or highway-worker vehicle, obey any temporary posted speed. If none is posted, Montana sets specific reductions: on an interstate, slow 20 mph below the posted limit when you can move over or to one-half the posted speed when you cannot; on a state highway or county road, slow 30 mph below when you can move over or to one-half the posted speed when you cannot; on other roads, slow to one-half the posted speed. Follow flaggers or sign boards, and move to a nonadjacent lane or as far away as safely possible when required.

8. Montana DUI Laws: 0.08% BAC, 6-Month First-Conviction Suspension & Open Container Rules

What is the legal BAC limit in Montana, how long is a first DUI license suspension, and what happens if you refuse an evidentiary test?

9. Montana Seat Belt & Child Restraint Laws: Secondary Belt Enforcement and 2025 Child-Seat Rules

What are Montana’s current seat belt and child car seat rules? Montana’s updated child-restraint requirements took effect October 1, 2025.

10. Montana No-Parking Zones: 15-Foot Hydrant Rule, 18-Inch Curb Requirement & Railroad/Intersection Distances

How far from a fire hydrant must you park in Montana, and how close must your wheels be to the curb?

• Do not park within 15 feet of a fire hydrant.
• Do not park within 20 feet of a crosswalk at an intersection.
• Do not park within 30 feet of a flashing beacon, stop sign, or official traffic-control device located at the side of the roadway.
• Do not park within 50 feet of the nearest rail of a railroad crossing.
• Do not stop or park on a sidewalk, in front of a public or private driveway, on a bridge or other elevated structure, or in a highway tunnel except where lawfully permitted.
• Do not park where official signs or traffic-control devices prohibit parking.
• On a two-way roadway, park with the right-hand wheels parallel to and within 18 inches of the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway, unless otherwise lawfully directed.

11. Driving in Montana Blizzards, Ice & Dust Storms: Headlight Triggers & Winter Visibility

Are headlights required in a Montana snowstorm, and what visibility rule applies? Montana weather can change quickly across mountain passes, high plains, and valleys.

• Headlights are required from one-half hour after sunset to one-half hour before sunrise and whenever, because of insufficient light or unfavorable atmospheric conditions, persons or vehicles are not clearly discernible at 500 feet ahead.
• In heavy fog or blowing snow, use low beams rather than high beams when glare or reflected light reduces visibility.
• If the vehicle begins to hydroplane, ease off the accelerator and avoid abrupt braking or steering.
• On snow or ice, reduce speed early, brake smoothly, and increase following distance beyond the normal three-second gap.
• If the vehicle skids, look and steer toward the path you want the vehicle to follow and avoid overcorrecting.
• Do not use cruise control when road conditions are wet, icy, snowy, or otherwise slippery.

12. Montana Driver License Points: 30 Points in 3 Years and Habitual Traffic Offender Rules

How many points make a driver a habitual traffic offender in Montana? Montana’s habitual traffic offender law uses conviction points accumulated during a 3-year period.

Key test point: A driver who accumulates 30 or more conviction points within 3 years meets Montana’s habitual traffic offender definition. A habitual traffic offender revocation is generally 3 years.

13. Montana Headlight Laws: 500-Foot Visibility Trigger and 1,000/500-Foot High-Beam Rules

When are headlights required in Montana, and how far away must you dim high beams?

Key test point: Montana’s visibility trigger is 500 feet. The high-beam dimming distances are 1,000 feet for oncoming traffic and 500 feet when following.

14. Night Driving in Montana: Sight Distance, Wildlife & Overdriving Your Headlights

What does “overdriving your headlights” mean in Montana, and how should following distance change at night? Rural Montana includes long unlit highways, open plains, mountain corridors, and frequent wildlife crossings.

15. Montana Cell Phone & Distracted Driving Rules: Local Ordinances and Careless Driving

Does Montana have a statewide texting or handheld cellphone ban for ordinary drivers? Montana does not have a general statewide handheld or texting ban for noncommercial drivers. Some Montana cities have local cellphone ordinances, so local restrictions may be stricter.

Key test point: “No general statewide cellphone ban” does not mean every phone use is legal everywhere in Montana. Local ordinances and other traffic-safety laws can still apply.

16. Montana Railroad Crossing Rules: Minimum 15-Foot Stop Distance, Required Stops and Safety Steps

How far from railroad tracks must you stop in Montana? When Montana law requires a stop at a railroad grade crossing, stop as close as practicable to the crossing but not less than 15 feet from the nearest rail.

• Stop when a clearly visible electric or mechanical signal warns of an approaching train, a crossing gate is lowered or moving, a flagger signals a stop, a train is plainly visible and dangerously close, or another condition makes crossing unsafe.
• Never drive through, around, or under a crossing gate or barrier while it is closed or being opened or closed.
• At crossings where a stop sign or other traffic-control device requires a stop, use the same rule: stop as close as practicable but at least 15 feet from the nearest rail.
• School buses, vehicles carrying seven or more passengers for hire, and vehicles carrying specified explosive or flammable cargo are among vehicles generally required to stop at railroad grade crossings, subject to statutory exceptions.
• Do not enter a crossing unless there is sufficient space to clear the tracks completely without stopping on them.

Key test point: Montana’s current statute uses a 15-foot minimum; it does not use the old 15-to-50-foot stop-distance range for the general railroad-crossing rule.

17. Montana Roundabouts: 15 MPH-or-Less Guidance, Who Yields & How to Signal an Exit

Who has the right-of-way in a roundabout in Montana, which direction do you drive, and do you signal when exiting? Montana law requires traffic to circulate to the right of the central island and entering traffic to yield to vehicles already circulating.

Key test point: Entering traffic yields to traffic already in the roundabout, and Montana’s driver manual instructs drivers to use a right-turn signal when exiting.